Beatriz Mejía-Krumbein was born in Colombia, but lived in Mexico and Germany before immigrating to the U.S. in 1987. Since the mid-1990s, Mejía-Krumbein has produced a body of figurative work that expresses a genuine concern for human rights and the need for solidarity amongst underrepresented communities. Her large-scale books, mixed-media ‘paintings’, and assemblages express skepticism toward mandated behavior and question the actions of those who abuse power. The series of works in Black and White revealed the institutional violence and abuse she witnessed in her native Colombia—painted in a stark grey-scale. La suite del silencio (Suite of Silence), investigates through paintings and collages created on quilts pieced together from rags—the plight of women worldwide. Using a form of figurative expressionism, raw brushstrokes, and a variety of both traditional as well as unconventional materials, Mejía-Krumbein ‘speaks’ for those rendered voiceless.